H.O.P Band has been nominated for Best Band in the Olive Gospel Awards 2011. The awards will take place on Friday, November 11th, 2011 at the Serena Hotel in Kampala, Uganda. Voting is already open so to vote for H.O.P by SMS, Type olive <space> HOP and send to 8111. You can also vote online by clicking HERE. Now is the time to rally and help H.O.P make the ballot.
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord [Romans 5:12-21]
What an awesome reminder of God’s far-reaching gift to all of us.. The gift of righteousness through His only begotten son Jesus Christ. These verses remind us of one of the most outstanding characteristics of our righteousness – It is a gift! And no gift is earned (for we could never earn righteousness on our own accord, except through Jesus and the dear price he paid on the cross!)
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m pretty certain a number of us are all too familiar with the chorus of Michael W. Smith’s Heart of Worship. It’s one of those songs that would always play on Sunday Morning as you woke up to go to church… and yet personally I had never really understood the words that came in at that part where they sang “I’ve made it”… it seemed it was always fuzzy, and perhaps you could have easily blamed it on the hugely popular radio cassettes of the time! But the truth is I just didn’t quite expect those words… “I’m sorry Lord, for the thing I’ve made it”
Looking back at those lyrics now opens my eyes to the depth that lay in that so simply yet elegantly arranged stanza. It’s the depth of a truth that constantly reminds us that this is all about God, and in no way about us. And yet so many times it’s when we have come into a place that we feel measures up to what we believe is our fulfillment, that we are quick to compliment ourselves – “I’ve made it!”
2 Corinthians 3:5 clearly shows how derailed a thought process this is when it says “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” So just because I went over all those hurdles doesn’t mean I could or did jump that high. It’s simply a testimony of God working through me – and I pray that I will be completely selfless to give Him ALL the glory, coz it’s all about Him.
